Analysis of Crime Scene Examination of Burglary in a Residential House

The security of citizens is a fundamental human right that should be ensured by the state. Criminal offences of property crime, primarily burglaries of residential buildings, which represent an intrusion into an individual's privacy, greatly affect people's sense of personal security. Such traces are not suitable for further investigation and have no evidential value. I believe that this problem could be solved by ensuring that each police unit has more professionally trained crime scene examiners who would carry out the majority of crime scene examinations.

Problem

The security of citizens is a fundamental human right that should be ensured by the state. Criminal offences of property crime, primarily burglaries of residential buildings, which represent an intrusion into an individual's privacy, greatly affect people's sense of personal security. Police statistics confirm that burglaries are a common form of property crime and that the detection rate for burglaries is very low.

The detection rate for burglaries is the lowest among all property offences, as in the last four years it has not exceeded twenty per cent. The reason for the low detection rate is certainly the good organisation of perpetrators, who leave few traces at the crime scene. However, I wish to emphasise that even one seemingly insignificant secured trace can contribute to the identification of the perpetrator.

His first hypothesis relates to forensic-technical investigation. He assumed that a high-quality and professionally conducted forensic-technical investigation increases the effectiveness of criminal offence investigation. Based on research conducted whilst writing the diploma thesis and personal experience, I can confirm this hypothesis.

The investigation of burglary offences is based on examinations of the scenes of these offences. During examinations, investigators can obtain a great deal of information, establish facts and find traces and material evidence, on the basis of which detailed and demanding research and in-depth forensic thinking about the criminal offence and perpetrators begin. However, the detection rate largely depends on how the examination and forensic-technical investigation are carried out.

Useful traces and other material evidence can only be obtained immediately and directly at the scene, as evidence is destroyed and altered over time. The examination is generally carried out only once and is unrepeatable. Errors and shortcomings cannot be corrected.

Therefore, I believe that every crime scene examination and forensic-technical investigation must be carried out with quality and professionalism, as only in this way can useful traces be discovered and secured that have potentially great evidential and procedural value. There are theoretical starting points as to how a crime scene examination should proceed, but in practice each criminal offence differs and therefore each examination is unique. I wish to emphasise that there should be no routine examinations and investigations, but unfortunately in practice they often occur.

The second hypothesis relates to the first hypothesis. In it, he assumed that professional knowledge, motivation and technical equipment of investigators influence the quality, professionalism and effectiveness of forensic-technical investigation. I can also confirm this hypothesis on the basis of personal experience gained during twenty-three years of work in the police.

The fact is that most examinations of burglary crime scenes are carried out by police officers on patrol and local criminal investigators. Forensic technicians most often carry out only examinations of more serious criminal offences or when local police officers ask them for assistance. In practice, this happens only rarely.

I believe that the level of professional knowledge of forensic-technical work among most uniformed police officers is low. Police officers on patrol in particular carry out various tasks daily in the field of traffic safety, maintain public order and peace, preventive activities and crime. Therefore, it is difficult for them to be well professionally trained in all areas.

I often observe errors by investigators in securing and photographing traces, as they have too little knowledge and experience for this. Professional development in forensic techniques has in recent years been organised in the form of a three-month course at the forensic technique departments of individual police directorates. A great deal of forensic-technical knowledge is acquired at these training sessions, but only a few police officers can participate in this training.

Poor professional knowledge of forensic techniques and the overload of local police officers also affect motivation in carrying out forensic-technical investigation. Most burglaries occur at night, so examinations are most often carried out in the early morning hours, when police officers are already finishing twelve-hour night shifts. Fatigue and exhaustion are the main reasons for lack of motivation and consequently ineffective investigation.

Accuracy and consistency in searching for and securing traces require a high level of investigator motivation. The quality and professionalism of forensic investigation is certainly also strongly influenced by the technical equipment of investigators. The author emphasised in the diploma thesis the importance of a well-equipped forensic case.

In practice, it most often happens that cases are inadequately equipped and disorganised. At the crime scene, therefore, even if investigators discover traces, they do not secure them correctly, professionally and with quality.

Results

Such traces are not suitable for further investigation and have no evidential value. I believe that this problem could be solved by ensuring that each police unit has more professionally trained crime scene examiners who would carry out the majority of crime scene examinations. In the third hypothesis, he assumed that footwear traces are most frequently secured at crime scenes.

I can also confirm this hypothesis. Official statistical data show that the number of requests for footwear trace examinations at forensic technique departments is the highest among all secured traces. Statistical data show that the number of all criminal offences together and burglary offences has decreased in the last four years.

However, the number of secured footwear traces has nevertheless increased. From these data, I can conclude that these are traces that investigators most frequently successfully secure at criminal offence examinations. I can also confirm this hypothesis on the basis of my experience in forensic-technical investigations.

At crime scenes, we most frequently discover and secure footwear traces, as these are the only traces that perpetrators leave behind at most examinations. I would like to emphasise once again that, having researched and reviewed the literature, he established that footwear traces can also have great evidential and procedural value, so their precise searching for and securing is very important. The effectiveness of investigation is influenced by both high-quality and professionally conducted forensic-technical investigation, as well as the knowledge, experience, motivation and technical equipment of investigators.

With his diploma thesis, he confirmed the great importance of a professionally conducted forensic-technical examination of a crime scene in investigating crime and provided many guidelines for effective work by investigators. Through research and analysis of the course of examination and forensic-technical work, he himself also acquired a great deal of knowledge for carrying out his work with quality.